


Pigheaded Borg, Infuriating Woman

by Querion



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Dubious Consent, F/F, Humour, Mutual Pining, Passion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 08:13:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24966517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Querion/pseuds/Querion
Summary: Seven of Nine disobeys the captain`s direct order. Janeway is furious. Seven is furious for entirely different reasons. Tuvok is stuck right in the middle of it all. What do the senior staff do to help the feuding captain and her astrometrics` officer? This episode centres on the episode, Prey (Season 4 episode 16). Seven saves the ship but the captain is furious with her astrometrics officer.
Relationships: Captain Kathryn Janeway/Seven of Nine, Tuvok - Relationship
Comments: 24
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are welcome :)

_I told her not to transport the poor creature off the ship. Now she`s condemned it to its untimely demise! She`s the most PIGHEADED...PIGHEADED...ANNOYING...PIGHEADED...Borg i have ever seen!_ Captain Janeway was in her ready room, pacing the length of her office in obvious agitation and anger. She was clearly upset at the needless death of a member of the 8472 species creature. Seven had beamed the creature only moments before the Hirogen hunters fired on Voyager then withdrew before actually firing on the Federation star ship. Seven had once again saved Voyager, but the ship`s petite auburn haired commander was too furious to acknowledge this fact, let alone think objectively at all. 

Janeway`s pacing had slowed down considerably. Her left hand held a padd containing the report her security chief, Commander Tuvok, had brought her. It described the events which led to the beaming of 8472 from Voyager to the Hirogen hunting ship.

Janeway was raised to respect all life, whether they were bug-like, dodecahedron shaped, blob or even of a slimy consistency. They were all life and deserved the right to live their lives peacefully. This incident upset her more than usual though and she had no idea why this was the case? Her monthly cycle perhaps? Well, things did tend to get out of hand some months, but not today. That was out of the picture. She thought back to a few months before when a small alien ship piloted by a local trader said hello to the star ship. Janeway nearly blew the smirk off his face simply because he made a remark that he had never seen a female captain before. Her reaction then was the direct result of menstrual cramps which she was suffering from. Seven, who happened to be on the bridge working on the science station console, secretly summoned The Doctor to bring an analgesic hypospray for the captain. The Borg woman had conveniently neglected to inform anyone of her capability to detect hormonal levels in humans, scents and more intimate things to humans. She could easily shut this function if she wanted to be polite, but she quite enjoyed observing Janeway`s body clock as it ticked away. This, Seven knew, was a violation of the captain`s privacy, but she could not help herself. She justified her action as part of her duty in looking after her captain`s wellbeing. Seven asked to see Janeway in the ready room and left when the Doctor materialised in with the hypospray in his hand. Chakotay suspected nothing. Seven wondered whether the man was all wooden all the way to his brain. With her highly analytical mind, Janeway had quickly caught on what was going on between Seven and The Doctor, however, but she simply pulled down her grey shirt to reveal her neck. Wordlessly, the Doctor injected the contents of the hypospray in her jugular vein and silently left the Ready Room.

Back in the present, her right hand stroked her chin as if in contemplation. Tuvok, sat on the couch on the upper level of the ready room, watching her pace furiously then slow down. He silently calculated how many steps she made back and forth and the energy she produced while doing so. Thanks to his Vulcan heritage, Tuvok could be focused despite of the distraction around him. Now he was mentally drawing a graph in his head, of the time (in seconds), against the paces she made. He roughly calculated the amount of energy in joules she made. Tuvok was amazed at how much energy this human could produce. He figured the energy if stored in a power cell could power up Seven`s alcove for twenty minutes! Not bad for a human, he idly thought.

Tuvok was brought out of his scientific thinking when he noted that the captain had now gone to sit behind her desk, leaving him on the upper level. Janeway looked at him and their gazes locked.

_Dismissed, Commander Tuvok!_

_...pardon me, captain. I was wondering if you could continue with your energy production. I was making progress in my calculation..._ Tuvok said with a straight face (not that anyone would notice the difference if he had a poker face on).

_What the hell are you talking about, Old Friend?!_ Janeway exclaimed sharply.

_When you were pacing, i calculated how much energy you could produce per second. By the time you stopped the amount of energy you made could power Seven of Nine`s alcove for at least twenty minutes._ Tuvok said in a matter of fact tone. Janeway looked at him as if he had grown horns on the top of his head. She wanted to be angry with him, shout at him and kick him out of her office or pound her fist on her desk, but strangely she could not be angry anymore. She felt laughter bubbling up from within her and threaten to erupt. Finally she could not hold the laughter in any longer, so the captain laughed until tears streamed down her face.

The security chief continued to sit on the couch with his hands neatly clasped in his lap. He silently watched the laughing captain while wondering at the human condition. Too conflicting. He has known this woman for twenty years, they had served together on three staships before Voyager. She had even attended his daughter`s kolihnar ceremony. He truly considered Janeway a very close friend, family even. He now felt free to talk to her when necessary.

Janeway`s second in command cleared his throat and wondered whether he should risk his friendship by talking about the real issue Janeway was angry at Seven. The chief of security officer had been observing Janeway and Seven arguing over different subjects over a long period of time. This last one made him wonder whether this charade or lover`s spat the two had been engaging in had gone long enough? They seemed to circle each other yet none of them wanted to address the real subject clear to everyone, but themselves. As a security chief, Tuvok was trained to sense danger before things happened. He had watched Janeway and Seven separately and together. He had collected enough data, had analysed it and reached conclusions. One of them was that the two really hated each other. His favourite was that the two were very much attracted to each other, but Janeway was reluctant to do anything about it because of Starfleet protocols which prohibit captains from fraternising with their crew. Tuvok, thanks to his Vulcan heritage, had a high auditory acuity. He has heard things the crew thought their captain and her astrometrics officer did when they were together. He would have blushed, but he left the blushing to emotional humans. He was Vulcan after all. When he was sometimes forced to think of those things, for security reasons, of course, particularly one story, the security chief was thankful that he was Vulcan with the ability to suppress his emotions.

_Tuvok was sitting in the mess hall, in his usual corner table, sipping from a cup of Vulcan spiced tea, while reading a report. He saw Jennifer Delaney, Harry Kim, Meghan Delaney, Tom Paris and B`elanna Torres walk into the mess hall and sat at a table opposite his. The famous five, as he called them, were whispering conspiratorially and laughing. He simply focused his attention on their quiet chatter while pretending to read and drink, just in case it was a security matter. He soon regretted eavesdropping on the officers` idle conversation. Apparently the captain`s nightly walks on the lower decks was just a ruse. What she really did was only walk on one deck and head to deck eight where the astrometrics lab was. there she would ambush Seven who was working late and have her way with the ex drone right there on the lab floor in front of a beautiful nebula. She would then take her back to her quarters on deck three and pretended to have a late night philosophical discussion with the young woman. What Janeway really did was to have her way with Seven some more then send her back to her alcove to regenerate...then repeat the whole process again. That when they argue it is really Seven`s protest about Janeway dominating her yet again after clearly agreeing to sub._

Back in the present, the Vulcan spoke. _Captain, you are being unreasonable to the young woman. She does not know any better. Loosen your restriction on her. It is not easy to suddenly reason as a human after being a Borg drone for eighteen years of one`s life._ He pleaded. 

Janeway looked up at her security chief with an unreadable expression on her face. _I guess that`s one way to summarize Seven`s insolent behaviour. Why does everyone want me to cut her some slack? Even Chakotay and B`Elanna want me to go easy on her. Don`t you know that she won`t learn anything if i keep forgiving her for everything transgression she commits?_ The captain said, quite unbelieving what she had just heard from the security chief`s mouth. He did not sound at all like the Tuvok she knew, he rather sounded more like her Old Friend. This realization made her want to know talk to him on this level, as a friend.

_Tuvok,_ Janeway said as she got up from her computer and walked to the replicator to get herself a hot cup of black coffee. _Do_ _you really think i`m too harsh? Am i acting inappropriate towards her?_ Janeway sat on the couch next to Tuvok on the upper level of her ready room. She continued to drink her coffee while waiting for Tuvok to say something, anything at all. When she looked at him she saw a raised eye brow and a slight tilt of his head in affirmation to what she had just said.

_I recommend you court the woman. It is more efficient than dancing around each other. The Vulcan said in a matter of fact tone. Janeway`s mouth opened as if she wanted to say something, thought better of it then closed it again._

Janeway had confined her astrometrics officer to quarters and had a small dose of argument with her while doing so, then she left for the night. The captain coud feel Seven`s eyes on her retreating back and felt tittilated. She wondered why that was so? She was furious with this woman and all she felt was some sort of sickening sexual arousal. Janeway chastised herself as she walked down the corridor towards the turbo lift which will take her home to her quarters. She was clearly more tired than she thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seven of Nine is blinded by fury and does herself bodily harm.

Seven of Nine stepped a few steps towards the furious captain. Janeway was in the middle of confining her to quarters for the infraction she had committed, yet again. Seven did not understand why Janeway did not see the bigger picture here. Did Seven not just save the ship from a whole pack of Hirogen hunters? Why was the captain punishing her for doing a good deed? Was Janeway so blinded by her almighty Federation rules? Seven opened her mouth to say something but Janeway had just turned on her heels and walked out of the cargo bay. Seven watched helplessly as the object of her secret crush left the cargo bay. How was she going to talk to the captain about her budgeoning feeling towards the redhead? Seven realised that she had just made a mother of all mess in the history of all mess. A familiar feeling of anger rose from the pit of her abdomen. It threatened to consume her with all force. It was anger at the Hirogen, the creature she had beamed to one of the Hirogen ship and to the universe.

Seven stood in the middle of the cargo bay with hands loosely at her sides. She was breathing hard and was clenching and unclenching her hands in an attempt to bring order to chaos. When this did not work the young woman picked up a random crate and held it with her left meshed hand. she brought the hand back then forward while letting go of the crate. She watched with satisfaction as it flew across the room and collided into the opposite wall. Amber spice filled the room causing Seven to cough as she attempted to clear her airway. Her anger was not abated in the least so she went to a side panel which was concealed behind he crate she had just destroyed. She pulled off the access panel to reveal conduits which transfered energy which powered the temperature of the room. She reached her hand and yanked a few conduits out of their housing. Sparks immediately flew everywhere around her. 

Seven felt energy buzzing through her body. She tried to let go of the conduits but they seemed stuck to her hand. To her horror, the Borg woman realised that her implants and body fluids had now taken over the task of transporting energy. She had become a human conduit. Evverything went black around her as Seven fell down, unconscious. 

As she blacked out all she could say was: Help me, captain. Unfortunately Janeway was not there.

On the bridge, Tuvok was standing at the tactical station conducting a diagnostic on the panel. A few minutes earlier he noted a brief spike of energy on the screen which originated from cargo bay two. As he continued with the diagnostic another spike overrode the diagnostic sub routine, causing the screen to go offline. A few moments later Tuvok was hailed by Torres from Engineering.

_Commander Tuvok, i want to know why i wasn`t informed of this energy sharing? Why is cargo bay rerouting power from critical systems in Engineering? There are no essential systems there, apart from the alcoves, even then there`s only one functional alcove, Seven`s._ Torres sounded angry to Tuvok, but that was not unusual. What was unusual was the incident Torres had briefly described. Tuvok`s brows furrowed as he attempted to bring his console back online so he could confirm Torres` claim. The console sprang to life but only for a short time then went offline again. This time it could not be reinitialised, despite all the tricks the Vulcan attempted to use.

_Lieutenant Torres, please meet me in cargo bay two._ Tuvok said as he quickly handed over the bridge to Ensign Pablo Baytart and walked to the turbo lift. As he did Tuvok contacted two security officers to accompany him.

As Tuvok, Torres and the two security officers reached the large cargo bay doors and attempted to open it, the doors remained unresponsive. Torres went to a side panel and opened it. She crosslinked the conduits, finally the double doors grudgingly parted to reveal a cavernous bay full of smoke and spices? They coughed and wondered why the environmental control fans had not automatically switched on to recycle the air. 

B`Elanna Torres charged towards the alcoves while the other security officers spread into the room to see what they could find. 

_Kayless`s bat`leth! Where is Seven?_ The engineer exclaimed impatiently. She did not like not knowing what was going on around her and on her beloved ship`s systems.

_Lieutenant, i believe Kayless has found what you were looking for._ Tuvok said calmly while switching off the large emergency switch from above the panel which Seven had sabotaged.

Torres ran towards Tuvok and the other security officers to find them moving an unconscious and charred object resembling a humanoid. The remains of brown material was the only evidence that the charred figure was Voyager`s resident ex Borg drone. Torres slapped her comm badge to alert the Doctor of their find and that he was about to receive an emergency. Torres was no medic but she doubted if there was anything the EMH could do to save the charred humanoid.

The group disappeared from cargo bay two in blue sparks and rematerialised in sick bay. 

_Commander Tuvok, what is the meaning of this? What have you...?_ The EMH exclaimed before he fully saw what was placed on biobed one. His holographic eyes could not believe what he saw. Seven of Nine lay curled in fetal position. Her hands were grasping the remnants of a conduits. Her hair was singed and had soot all over her face. The muscles on her back was black and the brown biosuit was charred all the way from the neck all the way down to reveal charred gluteus muscles. Suffice to say that the sight was nauseating.

The Doctor placed a large white cloth over the charred figure after he finished running a medical tricorder reading. He pronounced Seven dead on arrival. The damage was too severe even for her nanoprobes to repair. He closed the tricorder and gently placed it on the counter and looked at Tuvok expectantly. 

_How shall i...proceed? Have you informed the captain?_


	3. Chapter 3

Captain Janeway headed off to her quarters on deck two. She was exhausted, confused with the conflicting feelings she had when she chastised her crewman earlier on. She wondered why she tended to lose control when around this particular crew person.She really should get a grip on herself, she was a Starfleet captain after all. She had faced down various formidable foes in this hostile quadrant, one crew person should be easy to handle.

Janeway walked into her quarters and headed straight into her bedroom. She proceeded to the bathroom and ran herself a relaxing bath. She deserved it after the day`s stress. As she was about to undo her command jacket`s fastener, she received a strange hail from Tuvok.

_Captain, we are in cargo bay two where an accident has occurred. We are proceeding to sick bay with the casualty. please meet us there._

Cargo bay two? Janeway thought as she redid the jacket fasteners up. What was Tuvok doing in cargo bay two? Isn`t he supposed to be working on the bridge? And who`s `we?` janeway`s mind tried to figure out as she walked out of her quarters. Then something inside her caused the captain to quicken her steps. _Seven!!_ She ordered a site to site transfer to sick bay. She immediately disappeared from view and reappeared in sick bay near biobed one. What she saw made her legs turn rubbery. Her Seven lay helpless and was hooked with a thousand wires. The Doctor brought her up to speed while he and his staff worked on the young woman. He ordered a nurse to force in as much plasma as as she could get. The assumption was that raising Seven`s blood volume will cause her heart to pump again. He may save her organic systems. As for her cybernetic systems? Well, that will require some creative thinking. Janeway braced herself against the bed as she saw the white sheet completely covering Seven up from head to toe. As Tuvok explained what he thought may have happened, Janeway collapsed, unconscious.

_Shit! Now what do we do?_ The chief engineer said as she hailed Chakotay and Tom Paris to join the others in sick bay. Tuvok ordered harry Kim to go to the bridge. 

The EMH had connected Seven to a life support machine. He ignored what the tricorder readings told him. His sub routine made him try all treatment and interventions available to him. When Tuvok asked him whether that was logical, he simply told Tuvok to get out of his way because he had work to do. The Vulcan politely moved out of the medical and nursing staff.`s way. He waited for the first officer to arrive then updated him on the current situation.

It was then that Chakotay realised how deeply the captain felt for the young woman. he had his suspicions before. All the times the two women spent together under the pretext of teaching Seven human values, he now thought that maybe they were involved in a lot more activities. The man cringed at the thought of Janeway teaching Seven on the subject of human mating habits. The burly man shook his head to clear it of the unpleasant thought then looked at a biobed further back in the room. Kathryn janeway lay unconscious. Her features seemed to be relaxed but the man knew that her mind was probably troubled beyond measure. _Poor kathryn!_

_Doctor, i want updates every hour and let me know when the captain regains_ consciousness.

The Doctor and his staff worked quietly and efficiently. After four hours of Seven`s arrival to sick bay, the Doctor noted a very faint heart beat. It was very slow but present. All the plasma and packed red blood cells infused into the patient were beginning to cause Seven`s organic systems to function. Her lungs were forced open and shut by the lung machine. This caused oxygenated blood to circulate through her systems. The nurses took hourly blood samples to compare results and check the treatment`s progress. Seven seemed to be making some progress, not noticeable to the untrained person, but the medical team did not dare hope. All they could do was carry on steadily.

Janeway opened her eyes. She was lying in a strange yet familiar place. One thing she knew was that she was not in her quarters. Was she in sick bay? Why?

 _Ah, captain? You`re awake!_ The Doctor said as he went to the biobed where the captain was now sitting up. Her legs were dangling on the side of the bed as she tried to stand up.

_Doctor, what am i doing here? And why is Seven connected to the life support machine? Is she okay?_ The captain said, worry tingeing her voice. Before the Doctor answered any of her questions, it all came crashing down on janeway. She remembered of Seven`s accident`s report from Tuvok. She looked around and saw Tom Paris and other medical staff hard at work on Seven. Janeway wanted to cry, hit something, take on the universe itself for hurting the woman she thought deeply for. The captain did not want to admit to herself what she really felt deeply for. she had convinced herself that she felt compassion for Seven`s lost eighteen years of humanity in the Borg Collective, and she promised to do everything in her power to help the lost young woman regain it. That was safe enough to think.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janeway visits sick bay.

Janeway entered sick bay and walked slowly towards biobed one to where her crewman was lying so still. It was almost the start of Alpha shift and Janeway decided to visit Seven. She was relieved to note that the white sheet the medical staff used to cover the astrometrics officer with, was now replaced with a thermo blanket, to try and regulate Seven`s critically low body temperature, no doubt. Seven was now placed inside a sterile field in an incubator-like device. No visitors were allowed to minimise infection. Janeway and Torres were the only two "outsiders" allowed apart from the medical staff. Janeway was the next of kin and Torres was needed because of her engineering skills required when constructing the incubator-like device. Retractable gloved arms were placed on the outside. A visitor would simply placed their arms through and were able to touch the patient. An inbuilt speaker was placed above the glass panel where the visitor would be able to communicate with the patient.

The captain looked around the quiet sick bay as it was still Gamma shift, albeit towards the end of it. Only three medical were on duty during this time and currently none of them were in the vicinity. They were either finishing up on their night reports or were allowing the captain some privacy, to let her visit the woman she clearly cared for deeply. Seven was pronounced dead by the medical tricorder, but the Doctor`s stubborn nature caused him to commence resuscitation protocols available to him despite Seven being clinically dead. It has been sixteen hours since Seven was brought to sick bay by Tuvok, Torres and two security officers.

The Doctor sent the captain a detailed report of Seven`s progress...or lack of it. He planned on attempting to "bring Seven back to life" by stabilising her organic systems, then place her in stasis to figure out how to kick start her cybernetic systems which will in turn heal her organic system. It was a daring plan which Janeway believed the EMH will be able to accomplish. He still hoped that the patient`s organic system would kick in soon enough, but that had not happened yet. As a burns victim, Seven was prone to infections and without her nanoprobes she could easily get worse than she already was...more dead than before, if there was such a thing. 

Janeway stood at the bedside not knowing what to do. She wanted to touch the young woman, to reassure herself and Seven that they would both be fine, but the truth was they were not fine. She was beside herself with worry, while Seven was, well, dead. Seven`s usually pale skin was charred but clean. Her whole body was now covered with sterile medical gel pacs, sterile medical vaseline gauze squares and antibacterial infused medical gauze of various sizes and shapes. Both arms were attached with various infusions of replacement fluids and electrolytes. A dialysis machine was attached to her to remove waste products. The Doctor was very thorough in his treatments, janeway mused. She was secretly proud of him, but she used her words of gratitude sparingly. She was all too familiar with the smug look on his face and pompous attitude which always managed to push her patience to the limit.

A single faint but steady line showed on the monitoring screen. Janeway looked at it intently and yes, it was there. She was no medic but she knew that it had to be a good sign. It seemed her stubborn crewman was being her usual stubborn self...even in death. The thought caused the captain to hope and smile. She gently stroked Seven`s chin through the gloves, then traced a finger along the dimple she found there. The skin was uncomfortably cold and clammy, like touching a doll, but she touched the young woman anyway.

Nurse Lindsay Brooks was sitting in the nurses` office completing her night report. She paused and watched Janeway come into sick bay. The nurse followed the captain`s progress into the room as she headed towards the incubator. Janeay`s command mask was not present for a few moments and Lindsay saw the woman, Kathryn Janeway. The older nurse wondered how Kathryn coped with hurting and being lonely as the ship`s commanding officer? She shook her head and dwent back to writing her report. Brooks could have easily narrated the report via visual report but for some reason she preferred the old style written report. She made a point to visit Janeway during off hours, just to check on her. Lindsay had a girlfriend who remained in The Alpha Quadrant. She was familiar with the feelings of loneliness and hurting for a lost loved one.

Janeway took her hands out of the built in glove compartment and went to a nearby wall. She placed her hands under the automatic sanitiser then walked towards sick bay exit. As she did she had a distinct feeling she was being watched. So she looked back towards the nurses` office. She saw a nurse wave at her then Janeway stopped.

_Nurse Lindsay Brooks, is it? How are you?_

_Just fine, Captain._

_I came to see my patient before i head to the bridge. Thank you and your staff for all what you`ve done for her._

_My pleasure, captain. We`ll do all we can for her. Captain, i...was meaning to ask you. Would you like to join me for a cup of coffee whenever you`re free?_

_Well, we`re traversing through a relatively quiet region of space. Seven was very thorough in plotting a course away from any other Hirogen hunting packs. Yes, i will join you for a drink, Lieutenant Brooks. Ten hundred hours in my Ready Room._

_Aye, captain._

_Dismissed._

The morning departmental meeting went without a hitch. The Doctor updated the rest on Seven`s progress. To the senior staff Janeway seemed like the unflappable captain with nerves of duranium but Janeway was hurting inside. All she wanted to do was get back to sick bay and reassure Seven that she will be fine. She ended the meeting and went to the Ready room to complete some reports. She walked to the replicator and returned to her desk with a hot cup of hot black coffee. Fortified with coffee, Janeway set to work.


	5. Chapter 5

The Doctor and B`Elanna worked on Seven`s nanoprobe templates he had on file. He and the engineer figured out a way to "wake them up" from their slumber, to cause them to start repairing tissues. He took a sample of Seven`s charred skin from her bicep, placed the tissue sample and a single charged nanoprobe. He bombarded a sample of dormant nanoprobes with a high energy light beam. The nanoprobe samples suddenly started to move about seeking something to work on. The moment they sensed the organic charred skin tissue, the little machines rushed to it, eating away the charred areas and strengthening the underlying dermal layer. In a space of two hours the skin was restored. Torres and the EMH were overjoyed by the simple success. In their enthusiasm, they collected more of Seven`s damaged sample tissues and let the little machines loose on the samples. The Doctor left his staff to monitor progress and ordered them to inform him of the progress while he and Torres decided to celebrate with the captain in the Ready room.

Torres, carrying a tool kit and a tricorder containing a recording of the nanoprobes active at work, followed by the Doctor barged in the captain`s private sanctuary without pressing the chime, in fact they did not come through the door at all, they simply transported themselves from sick bay to the Ready room. They now stood at attention in front of the captain`s computer desk grinning at her.

Janeway continued to work on her reports after she had a nice visit with the older nurse Lieutenant Lindsay Brooks.

_Lindsay had pressed the chime at exactly 10:00 hours. She had a picnic basket, complete with a checkered blanket neatly folded and placed on top of the basket. She joined the captain on the upper level of the ready room, but instead of sitting on the couch next to the captain, Lindsay spread the blanket on the deck and placed the basket in the centre. She then started fishing things out of the basket. A thermos of coffee came out of the basket, then a stasis container of tuna sandwiches appeared, followed by strawberry tarts, then grapes, then more food. Janeway had watched Lindsay silently and smiled. When the nurse had finished emptying the picnic basket, The food items had almost filled the whole large red and white checkered blanket. Janeway was convinced there was collusion between Lindsay and the Doctor and that they were onto her for not eating properly. Lindsay sat cross legged in one corner and looked up at her expectantly. Janeway silently joined her on the deck where they both attacked the food until Janeway had eated a sample of everything, including the potato salad. She wondered whether it was lunch time yet and had another suspicion when nobody on the bridge called her for one thing or another as they tended to do. Even Chakotay did not bring reports. What the captain enjoyed the most was the little chat she and Lindsay had. Janeway remembered the brief sadness which had crossed Lindsay`s features when she mentioned her Bajoran girlfriend back on Earth and that she may never see her again._

The captain smiled fondly when Lindsay touched her arms and shoulders as they talked, in a completely unconscious gesture of reassurance on Lindsay`s part. Janeway felt good to be looked after by her crew and she was unaware that she lacked personal contact in the last few years she had been out here in the Delta Quadrant. The captain had always been the one to offer reassurance to her crew. She sighed happily and continued to work. Her happy musing was interrupted by two beings materialising in front of her desk. One in blue science uniform while the other was in gold engineering. The three stared at each other for a moment while Janeway attempted to figure out their reason for barging into her office. She saw that their smiles were too wide to be pretentious. So she knew they were genuinely happy about something.

_Well, welcome to my office, B`Elanna, Doctor. Is it time for my physical already? And do you need Torres to restrain me?_

_Well, not exactly, though that may be a good idea when your annual physical time comes. Thanks for the suggestion, captain._ There was a snigger from the vicinity of the chief engineer but when Janeway looked in that direction she noted that the chief was looking straight ahead, on a fixed spot on the wall above the captain`s head.

"We have found a way to awaken the dormant nanoprobes, captain. Observe." The Doctor said with barely contained excitement. He took the tricorder from Torres and interfaced it with the captain`s computer. Janeway watched with growing anticipation as an enlarged picture of a single activated nanoprobe propelled itself excitedly until it reached the sample of damaged skin. It worked on an area and within seconds the area was restored. Then other nanoprobes joined it and worked on the whole tissue sample. Janeway was now looking at a skin sample which matched Seven of Nine`s skin tone before the accident.

 _Impressive, Doctor, Ms Torres. This is a cause for celebration, don`t you think?_ Janeway knew that they needed encouragement for the exceptional work. She also knew that the medical team was working on other tissue samples before they decided on infusing the nano machines into the patient.

The three Starfleet officers settled themselves on the upper level of the Ready room. Before Janeway ordered anything, a picnic basket had materialised on the deck where Janeway and Lindsay sat that morning, complete with a checkered blanket. The only difference this time was the colour of the blanket. This time it was blue and white. Janeway laughed when she realised that the crew realised how sad she was at Seven`s accident. How perceptive of them. She briefly considered not eating because, frankly, she was still full from the brunch she had with Lindsay not so long ago. Janeway rolled her eyes at her manners. She smiled and sat on the deck, now adorned with a blue and white checkered blanket.

The three officers ate the different foods, well, it was really two officers who ate the real food while the Doctor ate some holographic crisps. The lunch took an hour then the two officers left via conventional means, through the Ready room door. If Torres and the Doctor had turned back, they would have seen the hopeful smile on their beloved captain`s face.

Activated nanoprobe. Courtesy of Science Direct.


	6. Chapter 6

Hours turned into days and weeks since Seven had been injured. Her condition remained the same, unconscious but steady. Janeway was beside herself with worry and it was beginning to show. She was rarely seen on the bridge, spending her time in the Ready Room instead. The Doctor and Tuvok noted her state of mind and attempted to engage her in conversation and tried to get her to eat. Janeway`s response was to send them away, reminding them that they needed to be somewhere else rather than the ready room. Tuvok was familiar with this tactic, but the EMH was offended.

One late evening after the Doctor had put Seven in stasis to preserve her until a suitable hospital was found, he went to see the captain. The computer stated that she was in the ready room. He shook his head in disgust. He knew that she was staying away from her quarters and had set camp in the ready room. he had also been tracking her eating habits by observing how many times Janeway ordered anything from the replicators. Coffee seemed to be her staple diet these days, not that it had been much of a difference in comparison with the past. She seemed to drink coffee and nothing else. The holo doctor lengthened his strides to reach the turbo lift on deck five which willl take him to deck one, the bridge.

The EMH pressed the ready room chime but there was no reply. So he pressed it again. The door silently parted to let him in. What he saw activated his compassion sub routines. The captain was lying on the couch on the upper level of her office, wrapped up in a hand-knitted blanket, staring into space through the large view port. The red blanket had the initials _KEJ_ in the corner. The Doctor was dismayed to discover the pale face and hollow cheeks. _What is the captain doing to herself?_

A few minutes had passed, the Doctor was still standing at the upper level watching Janeway`s reclined form, while Janeway completely ignored him. The man considered contacting commander Chakotay then changed his mind. This may be a job for commander Tuvok. As his sub routines debated on what course of action to take, he heard Janeway speak.

 _Doctor, are you going to stand there all night?_ Janeway said nonchalantly.

_Well, i...i only came to check on you, but from what i have seen it seems i need to do more than checking on you._

_...and what will that be?_

_You need to have something to eat, for starters, such as this..._ The Doctor held out his hands and a blue tray containing a bowl of tomato soup, toasted cheese sandwiches and a glass bowl of coffee flavoured ice cream materialised in them. He moved the coffee table close to the couch and placed the tray on it. He came round to sit next to Janeway and waited patiently for her to do something with the tray.

Janeway watched as the Doctor moved the coffee table close to the couch. She became angry at his intrusion but changed her mind at wanting to deactivate him. She knew that his holographic heart was in the right place and that he was genuinely concerned for her wellbeing. She also did not want him to declare her unfit for duty. So she sat up and forced a smile at him.

 _I am grateful for your concern, Doctor. Thank you._ She said formally, not at all how she felt inside. All she wanted to do was space the Doctor into space for condemning her Seven into stasis, for not trying to do enough to save the young woman. Janeway knew this was Kathryn speaking, not her professional, rational mind. She picked a spoon from the tray and scooped some ice cream. It went well so she scooped some more. Before she realised it, the bowl was empty. Next she attacked a piece of cheese sandwich then ate half of the tomato soup. The Doctor watched silently then smiled and nodded his head when she placed the empty bowl down on the tray.

 _I will see you in the morning, but before i go, i would like to suggest that we start looking for an advanced civilisation which could provide medical facilities where we could treat Seven. I don`t want to keep her in stasis for too long._ The smile on Janeway`s face at hearing those words could have lit a black hole.

_I`ll call a senior officers` and departmental heads` meeting in the morning. Thanks again, Doctor._

_You`re welcome, Captain._

It was during the Gamma shift when the Doctor sent a report regarding the captain`s state to commander Tuvok and recommended that they needed to find a planet with suitable medical facilities to treat Seven. Tuvok took the report and went on his nightly ship`s patrol. He reached the captain`s quarters and pressed the door chime with no response. Then he inquired the computer which told him that the captain was in the ready room. Tuvok wanted to sigh.

The tall Vulcan pressed the ready room door chime and it was immediately opened for him. He stood at the lower level, watching Janeway who had her back to the door. She was watching the distorted stars from the large view port, but she could clearly see Tuvok`s reflection. For a few moments there seemed to be a staring contest between them then Tuvok relented. He walked up to her and stood beside the captain.

 _Captain, i recommend you return to your quarters so we can have a chat...please?_ The Vulcan said. Janeway turned to look at him and sighed.

 _There is nothing to talk about, Old Friend. I just wish i wasn`t a captain..._ Janeway censored what she was going to say and smiled at him. _Tomorrow we need to discuss finding a suitable planet with good medical facilities to treat Seven._

 _Agreed._ The man readily agreed.

The following morning Tuvok stood at the captain`s door, waiting. Soon Janeway emerged looking better. She smiled a bit more than she did a few days before. They walked together silently towards the turbo lift which will take them to the bridge.

 _Tuvok, if you ever do that again, i swear i will kill you where you stand._ Janeway said as she remembered how she ended up in her quarters the previous night. Tuvok asked to talk to her about a personal matter in her quarters. She refused so he simply dragged her from the ready room and deposited her in the turbo lift. While she was in the turbo lift he performed a site to site transport from the turbo lift to the captain`s quarters. Tuvok went further as to lock the captain`s doors using his full command security codes. He knew Janeway could override the locks if she wanted to, as being captain, she had access to all command codes on the ship. She did not unlock the door until morning, however, simply because Tuvok had called upon their long time friendship. He always managed to "bribe" Janeway into doing things this way. The man, however, was always careful to not abuse this privilege. 

Back in the present Tuvok simply raised an eye brow at the threat, not believing a single word of it.

During the staff meeting, the captain raised the issue regarding a detour to a planet Harry Kim discovered. They could have shore leave, resupply their food stocks and treat Seven of Nine. The whole group readily agreed, all except one officer. Chakotay. He logically argued that they needed to minimise their detour trips and concentrate on getting home. Tuvok countered by stating that even that the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few, Seven of Nine was a valued member of the crew so a detour would be a logical course of action.

Janeway had contacted the planet fifteen light years away from their position. She and the foreign minister, Markon Tresvan, have had several communication exchanges for the last few hours. He welcomed the Voyager crew and sent coordinates for shore leave, medical facilities and general information about the planet Unganut 3. The Voyager captain in turn sent information about Earth and the Federation including information on Seven of Nine`s Borg heritage and the various species found on Voyager.

The ship was to reach Unganut 3 in fifteen hours. Janeway left Chakotay in charge of the bridge and went to sick bay. Every day she would find time to go and sit with Seven of Nine. She held her hand through the sterile gloves and spoke to her through the speaker. Seven would of course not respond but it made Janeway feel better. Lieutenant Lindsay Brooks watched her discreetly and smiled to herself. All sick bay staff were aware of Janeway`s visits but they all pretended not to see her visit the stasis room, not wanting to intrude in the captain`s private affairs.

Voyager orbited Unganut 3. Janeway stood in the command well as the view screen was activated. A smiling face of a humanoid male with tan skin and short raven hair appeared on the screen. He would have easily pass for a human if he did not have two fleshy flaps on his forehead.

_Greetings captain Janeway, as i said before, i, on behalf of the citizens of Unganut 3, welcome you with open arms. Please proceed to Alfriston prefecture. There is a specialist Burns Unit there. Your crewman will be received by the specialists who await you._

Half an hour later, Captain Janeway, the Doctor, Lieutenant Lindsay Brooks, commander Tuvok and the patient, Seven of Nine, beamed down to The Alfriston Burns Unit. They materialised in a brightly lit lobby where the surgical unit`s consultant met them. He ushered Brooks to the donning area while the Doctor simply entered the sterile field where a team of six people waited. Janeway and Tuvok were met by the hospital`s chief executive officer, Mariel Sharaz, who took her visitors to her office up on the third floor.

Voyager captain and her security chief were pleasantly surprised when they were offered coffee for janeway and Tuvok was offered a Vulcan spiced tea. They chatted for a while then the CEO decided to entertain her guests at her place of residence. Soon they arrived and the Alpha Quadrant officers were pleasantly surprised once more when they were offered familiar foods for both of them.

Janeway dismissed Tuvok. He reluctantly left for the ship. A few seconds after the security officer left, a bottle of Bajoran Spring wine materialised on the table. Janeway reached for it and served her hostess and herself a glass each. A few glasses of Ungarlot and Bajoran Spring wine later, Mariel was sitting on a couch opposite Janeway. She took a good look at her guest and liked what she saw. The play of light coming from the sky lite played on Janeway`s hair. Shades of red diffused evenly causing the illusion of a halo around the Intrepid captain`s head. It was fascinating to the alien woman who was used to see raven haired people.

 _Captain, can i call you Kathryn?_ She watched, in fascination, as Janeway looked at her and gave her a lopsided smile.

 _By all means, please do. I`ve been called `captain` for as long as i can remember. sometimes i forget my given name!_ They both laughed. Janeway felt her head buzzing. She was feeling a little bold.

_Do you live alone in this big house?_

_Yes, but i used to live with my mate. She left me a few years ago. She went off with another._ Sharaz said, sadness tingeing her voice.

 _Oh, i`m sorry to hear that. I had a fiance too. He married his secretary after he found out that i won`t be home for dinner!_ Janeway said, laughter tingeing her voice. Her alien host seemed to understand the joke and they both laughed. A few hours later Janeway left for the ship.

Captain Janeway materialised on the transporter pad on Voyager. She stumbled a bit and nearly tripped on her own feet. She wondered why the room was spinning and why did Tuvok felt the need to bring three of his officers to the transport room. She blinked and realised that there was only one Tuvok. She must have drank more than she should.

 _Tuvok! So nice to see you again! Have you been waiting for me all this time?_ Janeway said loudly. Tuvok raised an eye brow in disapproval. He stood at the base of the transporter and held out a hand to prevent Janeway from falling to the deck.

 _Yes, captain. I was sure i was here when you arrive. Come this way, please._ Tuvok pulled the captain`s hand to guide her in the right direction.

 _I had so much fun, Old Friend. Mariel is such a good hostess. She kissed me here. Then she touched me here, and here..._ Janeway got her hands under her command jacket to touch her breasts to demonstrate exactly how things happened. Tuvok wanted to sigh, but being a good Vulcan, he did not.

 _Was it wise to let her touch you so, captain?_ Tuvok wondered why he continued to talk to the inebriated commanding officer. _She is totally plastered._ Tuvok wondered then shook his head at the colloquialism. Clearly Tom Paris has influenced him more than he thought. The Vulcan wondered why he kept talking to Janeway about her behaviour that evening, but he carried on anyway.

 _Captain, you shouldn`t let any stranger touch your body like that, unless you enjoy the activity._ Janeway thought he sounded more like a father than her old friend.

 _You have no idea how she made me feel, Old Friend. I had no idea i still had it in me!_ Tuvok looked at the captain walking beside him, he noted that she was heavily leaning against his side. The radiant smile on her face was one he has not seen in a very long time. He thought briefly about what really happened in Mariel Sharaz`s house then blocked the inappropriate thought out. Finally he decided that if whatever happened on the planet between Janeway and Mariel Sharaz made his friend happy then so be it.

Tuvok and Janeway stood at the captain`s door. He watched in amused silence, as much as a Vulcan was allowed to show amusement, as Janeway fumbled with the door mechanism. he overrode the door code and deposited the captain in, then he left for his nightly rounds. Janeway fell on the couch with a plonk. She found a padd on the coffee table and picked it up. It was the Doctor`s report. Seven`s surgery was a success. She was infused with the activated nanoprobes Torres and the Doctor had prepared. She was still in a critical condition but stable.


	7. Chapter 7

Shore leave duty rosters were up and Chakotay had done an exceptionally good job in organising the crew, leaving only a skeleton crew on the bridge and other key areas. Torres worked with the Alfriston aerospace engineers in updating and fine tuning the Voyager`s warp core and other systems. With nothing much to do, Janeway patroled her beloved ship, well, it was more like wandering about the lower decks. She soon found herself on deck fifteen, in the bowels of the ship. 

Kathryn walked to the aeroshuttle portal and keyed in the entry codes. The air was stale due to not being used for a while so she run the air recycler for a few minutes. She touched the various controls and caressed them with love. This was the captain`s personal yacht which she never really used for its intended purpose. She always felt guilty for stranding her crew in this god forsaken quadrant. She used it as a personal sanctuary, when she needed to be alone with her thoughts. Kathryn opened up a drawer in the front compartment of the shuttle. She fished out a hypospray and injected its contents in her neck. The massive hangover she now suffered could no longer be ignored. Janeway felt guilty of cheating on someone she cared for very deeply. What she did yesterday on the surface, or rather what she allowed be happen was uncalled for. She knew that over indulging could result in something like this. Heartache and a massive hangover. She was careful not to think too much about this "someone she supposedly cheated on" for fear of bringing deeper feelings to the surface. As ridiculous as it sounded but this was a very real thing for her.

_Captain Janeway, you`re needed on the surface. You`re needed at the Alfriston Burns Unit._ The Doctor`s voice was heard through her communicator badge. She thought the Doctor sounded happy?

_Very well, Janeway out._

The captain jumped out of the aeroshuttle and quickly headed to the transporter room. She was met by Tuvok who was standing at the transporter controls, waiting for her.

_Good afternoon, Tuvok. I`m heading off to the hospital and before you ask? No, i don`t need a security detail._ janeway said as she stepped on the transporter pad. Tuvok opened his mouth, wanting to tell her that he already had one security officer waiting for her on the surface, but he closed it when he sensed that his captain did not want to talk about anything to do with her visit to the planet yesterday. So he simply raised an eye brow and started pushing buttons in front of him. he was impressed at seeing her sober and looking very professional. He figured that yesterday must have been truly therapeutic for the private captain. Tuvok vowed that he will never attempt to understand humans again.

Janeway materialised in the hospital lobby. Her face warmed up when she saw who was waiting for her. She knew she was blushing but she qiuckly put her command mask on and squared her shoulders. She can handle this. It was just an empty, miningless fling. The CEO who entertained her the previous day and a Voyager security officer, Ensign Thalia Thomas approached her. 

_Welcome captain. Are you well?_

_Yes, thank you... Ensign._ Janeway nodded in acknowledgement of her officer.

They took a turbo lift to the twentieth floor to the ward where Seven was placed after the surgery. Janeway stole glances at Mariel Sharaz. The dark haired beauty seemed to want to say something but seemed to hold herself back. Ensign Thomas looked between the two older women, wondering what was going on. Janeway sighed internally. Why did the CEO feel the need to escort her? It was clear that the woman was charmed by the intrepid captain but Janeway vowed to herself to not let herself fall into that trap again. As the situation in the `lift grew palpably tense, awkward and sexually charged, the lift chime dinged to indicate arrival to their floor. 

The CEO led the two Voyager officers into a private room. Gentle beeps could be heard and Janeway`s attention was drawn to the monitor where she could see six steady layers moving. She remembered seeing only one a few weeks previously. She was overjoyed to see that Seven was covered up in normal hospital clothes and her skin was healed. 

_Amazing! Thank you, Doctor Timaren Silik and your medical team, for healing my officer. Minister Markon Tresvan? Thank you for your invitation to the party in three days` time._

_Well, we don`t always get visitors from The Alpha Quadrant so be prepared to bring your appetites._ The foreign minister laughed and bid farewell to the group in Seven`s hospital room.

Janeway, CEO Mariel Sharaz, Doctor Timaren Silik, lieutenant Brooks, Ensign Thalia Thomas and the EMH remained in Seven`s hospital room discussing treatment and updating Janeway on the surgery. Seven was going to be left to awaken naturally from her medically induced coma. After Doctor Silik and the Voyager medical team left Janeway was left with Mariel and her security officer. Thalia walked to the window to look down at the busy roads below. Mariel stood awkwardly before Janeway, not knowing what to make of the captain`s reactions. Janeway seemed to be sending signals which indicated that Mariel should stay away from her. 

_Kathryn...uh, captain Janeway? I would like you to visit my home again for a special meal..._ Janeway`s eye brow went up.

_That is very generous of you, Madam, but i would like to spend some time with my friend, here. I have missed her so much. You understand?_ Mariel felt a twinge of sadness and possibly anger and rejection cross her mind but she soon recovered. 

_That`s allright, captain. Maybe next time._ The CEO watched discreetly as Janeway sat next to Seven`s bed and held her hand gently. She looked at the young woman`s sleeping face. Janeway then leaned forward and whispered something in the woman`s ear. Mariel had to agree that it was such an intimate moment she felt like she was intruding. Sharaz excused herself and left the room. She was beginning to understand that janeway`s attention was on the beautiful, sleeping young woman.

Standing by the window the young security officer discreetly watched the women`s interaction and smiled to herself. Her suspicions were right after all. She was probably going to win the Lower Deck betting pool, even though it was too early to say. Perhaps she will just have to wait until Seven was better.


	8. Chapter 8

Janeway returned to the ship feeling a bit confused. Her emotions were too close to the surface. She had to regroup and re-work her command facade. When she sat in Seven`s hospital room, held her hand and whispered into the unconcious woman`s ear, she felt love and tenderness wash over her, she wanted to kiss the sleeping woman. What she told Seven when she whispered in her ear was something which needed to be locked way deep inside her heart, preferably behind a force ten force field. She had a suspicion that Mariel Sharaz, the hospital CEO, heard what she said. Kathryn knew this did not make sense at all, but that was her gut feeling and Captain Janeway often trusted her gut feeling. 

Janeway materialised on the transporter pad of her ship. Tuvok was there, waiting patiently for her.

 _Tuvok, are you spying on me? Don`t you have more important things to do such as manning the bridge?_ Janeway snapped at her officer. Tuvok annoyingly raised an eye brow and said nothing, causing the captain to look at him.

 _Yes, Captain. I am following your every move. Are you not pleased that i am here to monitor the transporter and see your emotional outbursts of negative reaction to your crew men?_ That brought her out of her troubled mind. Tuvok always seemed to know her moods and emotions.

_What? I`m sorry, Old Friend. I`m going through things i`d rather not admit to even myself. I`m working things, though._

_Join me for a glass of wine in my quaarters?_

_I`d rather you come to my quarters, Tuvok. 18:00 hours?_

_Thank you, captain._ Tuvok said and left the transporter room for the bridge.

Tuvok sat in the captain`s quarters with a glass of red wine in his hand. He sipped his glass occasionally while watching his friend prepare dinner. Janeway wanted to go back to sit with Seven possibly overnight like she always did since the Borg woman got injured. Janeway had finished cooking a simple pasta recipe. She brought the food to the coffee table and served two plates then she smiled at Tuvok. She watched her friend pick his fork and brought it to his lips then placed it down on the plate again.

 _Shall i alert the Doctor, captain?_ He raised an eye brow. There was a miniscule curve at the corner of his mouth in a suspicious display of amusement?

 _Shut up, Tuvok. For your information, i can cook as well as captain a star ship. Now eat up!_ She said and started eating from her own plate.

_Yes, Captain. Before i forget, please be careful when around the Chief Executive Officer. She seems to be overly obssessed with you. I will be posting additional security for you as you maintain your nightly vigil at Seven of Nine`s bedside._

_Okay but no guns. We don`t want to send the wrong message to our gracious hosts._

_Very well, captain._

The two officers finished their meals in companionable silence. Then they drank one more glass of wine. Janeway had a cup of coffee then left for sick bay to see the Doctor. He sent her a memo earlier in the day to update her on Seven`s progress. According to the Burns Unit specialist surgeon, Dr Timaren Silik, Seven should have been awake by now, yet she remained unconscious even though her nanoprobes were fully functional again. The EMH suspected foul play, but he could not be sure. He believed that the captain should be informed just in case this was a security matter.

Janeway had discussed this with Chakotay and Tuvok earlier in the day. The first officer did not seem to think that there was foul play, but the third in command stated that there could be something going on. He suggested increasing the number of the security detail posted on the planet to guard Seven of Nine. Janeway opposed the idea for obvious reasons. She did not want to give a bad impression to their hosts who have been nothing but gracious. She scratched her forehead n a troubled gesture Chakotay was familiar with. Finally the first and second officer decided that they should keep the captain under constant surveillance, just in case something was going on. They agreed, to the captain`s chagrin, to install a subdermal comm badge and camera on Janeway. She agreed to her officers` suggestion, even when she knew that it was not necessary. Deep down, however, she knew that Tuvok was reacting to her uncharacteristic inebriation and behaviour the other day. She felt her face warm up when she suddenly remembered the details of her encounter down on the planet with the CEO of the Specialist Burns Unit clearly. Wait a minute! If she was drunk, was she supposed to remember everything in sharp detail? Maybe Tuvok has a point after all.

In sick bay Tuvok stood by a biobed watching over Janeway who was lying on it. The Doctor fitted her with a subdermal comm badge and camera on the inner arm and sent her on her way. She materialised in the now familiar lobby and took the familiar lift up to the twentieth floor. She took her book of poetry and a special red blanket she knitted for Seven. It was complete with the young woman`s initials: ASH, for Annika Seven Hansen. She hoped Seven will wake up during the night and that she will like the red blanket.

Sharaz went up to to her office, which was one floor up from Seven`s ward, on the administrative floor on the twenty first floor. She was fuming inside. She was not used to being rejected by females she was attracted to. It did not matter what the women felt. She was rejected once by a female who had simply walked in her life. She bared her heart and soul for this female, gave her everything, yet she simply trampled on it and tossed it in the rubbish bin. Never again! Mariel Sharaz will never be left vulnerable again. She fancied Kathryn Janeway, a beautiful, attractive alien captain who was full of life and passion. The previous day when she made passionate love to the alien captain, it had been one of the best days of her life. She felt in control again. Sex made her feel in control. Sharaz was going to have Janeway in one way or another. She had found two potential weaknesses. She could detain Seven of Nine, claiming one thing or another while Janeway remained with Seven. Or she could simply make Janeway disappear into a neighbouring system. There, she could make passionate love to Kathryn, to her heart`s content. She must have Kathryn Janeway. She was Chief Executive Officer of this hospital. She can make things happen. A party in Voyager`s honour was to be held in a few days`time. There will be eating and drinking. Yes, drinking. Mariel can do things with drinks. She did it with Janeway`s drinks yesterday, with good results. She practically possessed Kathryn`s body, owned the gorgeous body of Kathryn Janeway. The woman sobbed as she came again and again then begged Mariel for more. Janeway had called another`s name over and over during the many orgasms she had, but Sharaz was confident she could change that. it was just a minor bump.

A plan began to materialise in Mariel Sharaz`s jealous mind.


	9. Chapter 9

Janeway sat at Seven`s bedside, holding her poetry book in one hand while holding Seven`s hand in another. She had removed the hospital blanket off the young woman and had covered Seven with the red blanket she handknitted for the young woman. Kathryn did not know why she did this but if she was asked, she would tell them that she felt Seven will be comfortable using her own blanket. Kathryn looked around the now familiar room, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. There was the standard replicator, a bathroom and reclamation unit. Kathryn also beamed down flowers to the room earlier in the day. She did not want to be seen carrying flowers around because Starfleet captains do not roam their star ships carrying flowers. She looked to the window where the young security officer stood, watching the cars and hover vehicles go past the hospital window. The young woman, Ensign Thalia Thomas, was deceptively calm, very much like Tuvok. In fact there was a very good reason why Tuvok assigned her to Janeway and Seven. The young ensign`s hand combat skills ratings were second only to Tuvok`s.

Janeway noted that the young woman had no weapons on her, but that did not mean that she had no way of defending the captain or Seven if need arose.

_Ensign Thomas, are you going to stand there all night? Come and sit here._

_No, captain. I am going to patrol the corridor and do other security checks soon. I will sit with you if you need me to. Also i can make you coffee and relieve you if you want to nod off for a while._

_Thank you. I`ll let you know if i need anything._

Janeway smiled and went back to silently read her book and hand holding. What she really wanted to do, however, was to read a poem she had written specifically for Seven, to whisper it in the sleeping beauty`s ear. Who knows? Maybe Seven will wake up after hearing the badly written poem and accuse her of her bad grammar. Janeway snorted and decided to whisper it in Seven`s ear anyway:

_My beloved, you are like dawn_

_You bring me hope when i`m down_

_But sometimes you make me frown_

_When you don`t seem to notice me_

_Did you want me to practice_

_My love skills?_

_Do you want me to kiss you_

_Believe me i want to_

_But i can`t because of my job_

_You`re a heart throb_

_Many flock to gaze upon your beauty_

_Even your hair smells fruity_

_Like a nice, juicy strawberry_

_Which makes my heart merry_

_Look, i was so scared i`d lost you_

_I shouldn`t have told you off_

_I should have talked to you_

_Will you wake up?_

_I am full of pent up_

_Energy to play with you_

_Do you miss me, my friend?_

_Or does that depend_

_On what i will tell you_

_When you wake up?_

_I`ve been staying up_

_To hopefully make up_

_For my foolishness in_

_My treatment of you_

_Did i keep you at arm`s length because of my elusiveness?_

_Again my job caused me to act this way_

_But i promise that never again will i conceal_

_My love for you_

_I will shout at the top of my lungs_

_If you say yes_

_Now, please wake up_

_So we can make up_

_For lost time_

_We`ve spent bickering_

_I see a light flickering_

_If you do i promise_

_Not to be comic_

_About my feelings anymore_

I`m _not like i was before_

_I`m a new woman, ready to love you_

_Now wake up, please?_

Ensign Thalia Thomas had gone out on night patrol, leaving Janeway with the patient. Now Janeway sat up then leaned back in the chair. She thought she saw a shadow in the corner of her eye in the vicinity of the window where the security officer stood earlier. She shrugged and continued her silent reading. She was used to maintaining vigils for her crew. A few months before, the EMH`s sub routines had gone haywire and he was stuck in a feedback loop. He became confused and was a patient. Janeway sat with him, reading a book called _La Vita Nuova._ She did not think the book was appropriate for Seven simply because of what she felt for the young woman. Yes, it was about new beginnings, but this was about love, personal love between a captain and potentially her astrometrics` officer. Pretty much a forbidden love born out of fraternisation between a captain and crew member. She sighed and stood up to stretch.

The door silently swished open and Janeway expected to see Ensign Thomas but it was the CEO, Mariel Sharaz, who walked in. She was dressed in the most revealing outfit Janeway had ever seen. Sharaz stood in front of the intrepid captain, wearing a black semi see through tee shirt which fitted snuggly at her chest revealing toned abs and breasts. Kathryn could see erect nipples. Her black, snug fit, silky trousers revealed toned legs which disappeared into black high heeled boots. Her raven hair was neatly done up in a pony tail. Janeway`s body reacted strongly to the sight of the delectable alien woman, probably because of the recent incident at Sharaz`s house. Janeway grudgingly agreed that the alien woman was, indeed, quite beautiful.

 _Hello, Kathryn. I knew i would find you here, with your crew man. How is she?_ Sharaz looked at Seven then smiled at Kathryn.

 _Why did you want to see me, Madam?_ Janeway said formally and placed her hands behind her back. Sharaz sighed.

_Why are you making things difficult, Kathryn? You know i`ve fallen in love with you and i know you have as well..._

_I never fell in love with you! You forced yourself on me, and what did you put in those drinks i had, anyway?_

Janeway looked straight in the other woman`s eyes. For a moment blue gray and brown eyes stared at each other as if in a staring contest. Finally Mariel sighed again and looked down at her shoes.

 _Very well, i admit that i was unethical in that manner, but do understand that i enjoyed your company very much. I cannot think of anything else. You have completely taken over my mind. I worked late tonight but i wanted to see you before i left for the night._ Mariel moved very close to Janeway, forcing the captain towards the window where she was trapped between the window on one side and Mariel on the other. The alien beauty was so close that Kathryn could feel the heat emanating from her. Janeway had her arms crossed at the chest, perhaps in an unconscious attempt at shielding herself from this beautiful, charming, intimidating alien female. Janeway looked at Seven on the bed then she thought she saw her eyes flutter then open briefly then shut again. Kathryn dismissed it for wishful thinking on her part.

 _Why are you doing this to me, baby? I want to have you again. You were so very responsive to me. You were so sweet i could not have enough of you. What i am saying is that i want you again, i need you!_ Sharaz said, enticingly, forcefully, pleadingly. Janeway cringed at the needy and forceful alien wanting to possess her body that much. She briefly felt flattered and toyed with the idea of going with the CEO and return to the bedside later? Her command training took over and she squared her shoulders, turned and looked at the alien straight in the eye.

 _Mariel, look. I am flattered that you think i am what you thing i am. The truth is i cannot have you,_ i _can`t accommodate you. I do not love you. That`s the truth about it. Yesterday was a big mistake that i don`t want repeated. Can you accept that i do not feel the same way? I respect you and i think you are brilliant and beautiful. That is all i feel for you, respect and your brilliance._

_...but you said i was beautiful? Don`t deny yourself so much, Kathryn. I know you force yourself not to act on your desires. I noted that yesterday when i made love to you. You have so much to give, you also feel so much._

Janeway knew everything the alien said was true. She did deny herself happiness. She also did have much to give but forced herself to not act on any personal feelings. She only pleasured herself occasionally which she knew was an unhealthy habit. The Doctor had prescribed holograms for her on a few occasions when she reported to sick bay, complaining of sleeplessness feeling aroused when she saw just any female crewman showing off some skin. Suffice to say it was very distracting, particularly at night when she played back the memory of those crew women. The truth was that Janeway felt guilty for stranding her crew in this godforsaken quadrant. She promised herself to have all the pleasure she could have when she reached home. Unfortunately her carefully guarden feelings were brought to the surface by this alien wanting her. There was no going back now. She had to find another way of expressing her feelings until the woman she deeply cared for was better. Hopefully the young woman will have her.

_Kathryn Janeway?_

_Yes?_

_Is there someone else?_

_Yes._

_This...woman?_

_I hope so._

Mariel Sharaz looked between Janeway`s eyes searchingly for a long time then sighed in the most human way that for a minute Janeway forgot that she was an alien in the Delta Quadrant.

_Very well, i will see you at the festivities the day after tomorrow. Shall i bring you something for breakfast in the morning?_

_That`s very kind of you, Madam, but i will be alright, thank you._ Kathryn said politely. Then she watched Sharaz walk to the chair Janeway had vacated. She picked the poetry book and flipped through the pages of the old fashioned paper back book. She came to the page Janeway read Seven. Janeway watched her silently but did not interrupt her. Finally Mariel walked out of the room and went towards the turbo lift in the corridor.

Janeway sighed and went to the replicator across the room to get a cup of coffee. Fortified by this, she went back to sit on the chair to resume reading. She briefly wondered where her security officer had gone to then she heard the door silently swish open. Thalia walked in and immediately saw that Seven`s eyes were open.

 _Captain, Seven of Nine is awake!_ The officer could barely containing her excitement. Janeway practically jumped out of the chair to lean over the young woman.

_Seven, are you alright? How are you feeling? It`s nice to see you again. Shall i call the Doctor?_

Seven heard a familiar voice talking, no, reading something. It made her feel warm inside. She recognise the voice of the reader. It was captain Janeway. She knew that as long as she heard the voice then she was safe. She attempted to open her eyes but her eyelids were as heavy as a blanket made of lead. Seven opened her eyes again to see a hazy figure in black talking to the familiar but hazy image. The one in black was being forceful and aggressive towards the familiar hazy figure in black and red. Yes, it was captain Janeway, but who was the other individual? The lead eyelids snapped shut again.

An indeterminate amount of time had passed when Seven felt her left meshed hand gently squeezed. The warmth she felt inside returned with intensity. She heard the beloved voice of the captain read something in her ear. It sounded very personal and the warm puff of air in her ear caused goosebumps to erupt all over her body. Seven knew this was not a malfunction. It must be love. She loved the captain. She has loved her for a long time, she just did not know how to express her feeling, resolving to counter the captain and argue with her instead. How confusing!

 _C-captain? is it you? No, i do not need the Doctor. I require assistance to sit up, please?_ Janeway and Ensign Thomas helped the patient sit up supported by pillows behind her. Thalia went to get Seven a glass of water, tomato soup and toasted cheese sandwiches while Janeway straightened Seven`s hospital gown to make her more decent. Janeway was surprised when she felt her hand being taken in Seven`s hand. It was guided to Seven`s chest where the young woman made her squeeze an erect nipple. Janeway gasped and quickly removed her hand as if she had touched a hot oven plate. The feeling was warm, fuzzy and if she were to be honest with herself, she wanted to keep her hands there forever and never let go.

Janeway wanted to sit close to the young woman, to kiss her, to embrace her and never ever let go of her. She also wanted to sit as far away from the young woman, to try and preserve her shuttered control.

 _That is how i feel about you, Captain Kathryn Janeway._ Seven said and moved to kiss the shocked captain on the lips. Well, it was only a peck on the lips but it meant a lot to Kathryn Janeway, the woman who had imposed self celibacy on herself. She knew her body was touch starved and that she would have loved if all this emotional stuff going on happened in her quarters. She moved close to Seven, against her better judgment, and hugged her astrometrics` officer. She was glad her crew man was alright again.

Thalia Thomas stood at her post facing the window with her hands behind her back. She did not want to intrude in what seemed like an intimate moment. Yes, she saw every interaction between the captain and Seven. She even witnessed the hand which Seven guided to touch her breast. As a security officer, Thomas was trained to see small details. So she was sure not to miss anything. 

_How long was i detained in this institution, captain?_ Janeway laughed at Seven`s phrasing.

_Nearly two days, Seven, and no you were not detained. It`s a hospital on the planet Unganut 3 which specialized in treating burn wounds. They are a very nice race of humanoids._

_I...see. Too nice to want to get in your pants!_ Seven snapped. She felt jealousy seeping through her every pore. She heard a bit of conversation between Mariel Sharaz and Janeway. Kathryn gasped. Her face warmed.

 _Seven! That was not how it happened. Can we talk about this later when we get back to Voyager?_ Kathryn realised that they were talking as if they were in a relationship, it all sounded natural to talk with Seven in this manner. Perhaps they have already been in a relationship and all what was needed was to admit to each other. Janeway wondered how she was going to tell Seven about what happened in Sharaz`s house.

Thomas hailed Tuvok to inform him of the good news while Seven lay her head in Kathryn`s lap. Janeway looked at Thomas` back at the window. She did not feel self conscious, rather she felt happy to let her human side show to at least one of her crew, that she was capable of loving someone. Someone who loved her back. Janeway sighed and leaned back against the pillows with the young woman lying in her lap.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janeway has an adventure.

Janeway left for Voyager to freshen up, leaving Seven to be reviewed by Doctors Timaren Silik and the EMH. The nurse, lieutenant LIndsay Brooks, was also present. Seven was against the idea of being left alone in an alien hospital without the captain. She expressed herself, not in her logical, typical fashion, rather she cried like a baby.

_Kathryn, please do not leave alone here? I need you._

_...but Seven, i`m only going away for a few minutes. Tell you what? I`ll go to my quarters for a quick shower then return and we can both have breakfast here. Once you`ve been checked by the doctors, hopefully you`ll be cleared, we can return to Voyager together._

_...very well._ Seven pouted. Janeway looked at the security guard, who was still facing the window, quickly placed a quick kiss on the young woman`s mouth and left. 

Seven sat up in bed. She felt weak because of muscle disuse but otherwise she felt well in herself. The security officer cleared the small table containing the half eaten cheese sandwich and the glass of water. There was a slight commotion in the corridor outside Seven`s room. Seven used her enhanced hearing to understand what was going on.

**THROUGH SEVEN`S ENHANCED HEARING**

_...Doctors Silik and Doctor, all i need is a moment alone with Seven of Nine for a short time. I need to tell her something very important._

_...but you can talk to her all you want after we`re done with our assessments, Madam Sharaz._

_No, i have waited long enough and i can`t wait any longer!_ Then there was silence.

_Very well, a few moments won`t do her any harm._ Seven heard footsteps approach then the door was opened.

A tall handsome woman walked in. She had long raven hair tied up in a pony tail. Two fleshy flaps stood proudly on her forehead which reminded Seven of a woman`s...she shook her head to dispel the inappropriate thought. The woman wore a dark suit and carried herself with confidence. It reminded Seven of her own captain Janeway. The young woman, who was reading a padd, sat up in bed and watched the intimidating woman approach. Sharaz stood facing Seven of Nine and placed her hands behind her back.

_Hello, Seven of Nine. Welcome to Unganut 3. We finally meet in person. My name is Mariel Sharaz, the chief executive officer of this hospital. You came here a few d..._

_...i am aware of the time index i have been in this facility and now i would like to get back to my ship!_ _Are you responsible for treating my captain with disrespect? I will not tolerate you disrespecting her!_ Seven snapped.

_Seven, please don`t say anything more?_ Ensign Thalia Thomas tried to stop Seven. She knew Tuvok was going to drag her over the hot coals if she did not at least make an attempt at controlling the situation before things get out of hand.

_No, Ensign. This woman has been nothing but disrespectful to the captain and she knows it. Allow me to contact commander Tuvok. He will know what to do!_

_Oh, Lord and this had to be during my shift!_ Thalia thought dejectedly. It was clear that this was going to be diplomatic incident. Tuvok had hinted to his security team over and over again that the captain and Seven tended to somehow be prone to accidents and, well, he did not exactly say that but it was clearly implied.

Seven did not like this female at all. Every billion or so nanoprobe in her system agreed with her that mariel Sharaz had no honour and was potentially a dangerous individual. She tried hard to control herself but she seemed to have malfunctioned. Mariel looked at the feisty young woman sitting up in bed looking very composed and probably ready to strike. She could not believe that it was the same patient who was unconscious and helpless only a couple of days ago. She seemed to be the direct opposite of the reserved Kathryn Janeway. Mariel did not like Seven of Nine one bit. She could not believe Kathryn felt anything for this young woman.

_Seven of Nine, i...apologize for my construed disrespect for your captain, but i believe the discussion you may have overheard is none of your business. You are merely a lowly crew man under her command. So listen to me and listen well. Stay away from Kathryn and i._ Seven merely raised a metallic eye brow in challenge but she said nothing further, which caused a slight vexation to rise within the CEO.

_This female must be the worst of her species,_ Mariel thought. She turned on her heels and walked out of the room.

_This female must be the worst of her species,_ Seven of Nine thought to herself as she watched the CEO walk out of the room.

The doctors and nurse walked in the room and did some assessments on the patient and declared her fit for discharge. The EMH competed some electronic documents and placed his thumb print on a padd. He handed it over to doctor Timaren Silik, who did the same thing, and left. The EMH stayed in the room to talk to Seven and ensign Thomas.

_Seven, good to see you awake. You look well for someone who was dead for a few hours. I guess stubborness has its advantages. Well done._ He patted her on the shoulder.

_Thank you, Doctor._ Seven said politely, causing ensign Thomas to raise an eye brow at the supposed switch in personality. Thomas knew the truth, though. Seven loved the captain and did not like anyone say negative things about her. The ensign thought that was cute, though she dared not say anything about the captain`s personal life.

Janeway arrived shortly after Sharaz then the doctors left the room. Ensign Thomas had freshened up in the en suite bathroom and had a light breakfast while Seven refused to have anything to eat before the captain arrived. Janeway smiled broadly at seeing her astrometrics officer still sitting up and very much awake.

_So, what did i miss? Have the doctors cleared you for discharge? Are you ready to go home?_

_Yes, captain._ Seven smiled shyly at Janeway. Ensign Thomas packed the few personal items in the room, including the flowers and beamed them back to the ship, into Janeway`s quarters.

Janeway and Thomas helped Seven to the bathroom to freshen up but once there Seven refused to let Thalia help her, she only allowed Janeway to assist her with personal care. Thomas was relieved to let the two be together as it seemed natural to her. 

**IN THE EN SUITE**

_Captain, i am unable to perform this activity alone, my arms feels like boneless conduits. Could you please assist me?_

_Do conduits have bones? Uh, never mind..._ Janeway laughed at her friend`s joke. It was as dry as her other friend`s. At that point Kathryn realised that she liked surrounding herself with logical people with dry humour, bordering on sarcasm.

_What do you need me to do, Seven?_ Janeway watched Seven raise an eye brow.

_Okay, turn around so i can undo the ties of your gown._ Janeway advised. Seven did and Janeway was treated to a pleasant sight of a smooth back, nice round arse and legs which went on forever. Janeway`s breath caught at the sight. She fought the urge to pinch the enticing globes. So she quickly helped Seven finish undress herself and handed her a soaped face cloth so she could wash herself.

Seven stood before the captain, naked as the day she was born, with a face cloth in her hand. She looked expectantly at the captain probably expecting her to do something with it. Janeway sighed and took it from the young woman. She started rubbing the cloth over the young woman`s shoulders and back while mumbling something under her breath, something about being a star ship captain and not a personal care provider to her crew. In reality, she was overjoyed to see how Seven reacted naturally in her presence, even in this very intimate setting.

_Kathryn, i am not just any crew member. I am your friend. I am not going to let you deny me anything as you did before. Doing so almost cost me my life. Even the CEO of this facility wants to take you away from me. She came here and stated that you and she have something going on._

_I know, Love, but everything seems to be going too fast for me to grasp. Let`s finish up here then we`ll have breakfast. We`ll have to talk about everything when we get back to Voyager._

_Acceptable._

Seven was officially discharged from hospital. Janeway took her back to Voyager. As they materialised on the familiar transporter pads Tuvok was at the controls. He bowed his head at the women.

_I am pleased you are well, Seven of Nine. Welcome back._

_Thank you, Commander._

The women proceeded to the captain`s cabin where Janeway led her companion to the couch. She proceeded to the replicator to get a hot cup of coffee and a glass of water for her friend. Seven looked at Janeway`s cup then at the glass in front of her.

_Captain, you get yourself a cup of hot beverage and a cold one for me?_

_Uh, if i remember correctly, you don`t drink coffee._

_Perhaps!_ Seven said mysteriously and went to the replicator. A few moments later she returned with a cup of white coffee, causing Janeway to raise an eyebrow but she said nothing.

They sat in companionable silence sipping their drinks. Janeway snorted when she noted that for every few sips of coffee Seven drank, she would "wash it down" with a few sips of water.

_So tomorrow is the party on Unganut 3. The foreign minister informed me that it will start early evening until the following morning. We should make an appearance then return here. I want to show you something. Something i have been meaning to show you for a long time._

Seven felt anticipation course through her as she happily sat on the couch with Janeway`s back to her, held closely in her arms. It felt so natural, as if they had done this before. She squeezed Kathryn in her arms as she remembered the alien woman at the hospital wanting her Kathryn. Her Kathryn. Seven sighed happily.

Kathryn thought about the strange situation involving Mariel Sharaz`s controlling nature. She also thought of Seven of Nine`s possessive character. Did the two have something in common? She seemed to have enjoyed being possessed by the alien woman. The burden of command was a heavy one to carry sometimes. She supposed that every once in a while she would love to be relieved of this burden. She would let another take care of her for a change. That was where a lover would come into the equation. Yes, it was possible to have a lover and command a star ship. Kathryn wiggled in Seven`s arms and snuggled closer than it was possible.

The evening of the party Sharaz sneaked into the great hall of Alfriston Prefecture. She had a padd in her hand and checked the rows of seats. She ticked off the seats on her padd against the seats in the hall. Then she went to a chair reserved for Captain Kathryn Janeway. Mariel placed a small portable transporter unit under the seat then quickly sneaked out of the hall again. The alien woman smiled to herself and went home to get ready for the party. If all goes well she will have Kathryn Janeway all to herself.

Soon everyone arrived and the party started. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Unganut 3, Markon Tresvan, made a long speech about the history of the planet`s civilisation and scientific progress and exploits they have made so far. Captain Janeway talked about the United Federation of Planets and Starfleet. She wanted to make her speech brief, but Unganut 3 politicians kept asking her questions about The Federation and how they managed to be spread out yet remained strongly united. Janeway did her best and even handed out padds containing the important facts and fun facts about the UFP and Starfleet. At the end of her hour long speech, she found herself in a diplomatic situation where Unganut 3 politicians considered joining the UFP.

Mariel Sharaz sat quietly opposite Janeway, watching the captain appreciatively and longingly. She half listened to whatever was going on around her, waiting for the right moment to act. She had already checked with the pilot of a shuttle craft currently in orbit above the Alfriston prefecture great hall. He was ready. Now Mariel looked at her personal transporter unit disguised as a wrist watch. To anyone watching her, Mariel seemed like an ordinary guest checking time on her wrist watch. She saw finish her speech and sit down. She and Markon Tresvan shookhands. Sharaz supposed she should wait until meals and drinks were served and preferably when they started dancing. She will dance with Janeway then transport her away, or she could use the transporter under the captain`s chair. She will act on whichever plan was suitable.

Earlier in the evening, the Voyager crew began to arrive. Sharaz, who was already seated at her designated table, watched as Janeway and Seven, accopanied by Tuvok, Chakotay, Harry Kim, Tom Paris, B`Elanna Torres and the Doctor walk in. Other Voyager crew Sharaz did not know also arrived and sat at different tables. She followed Janeway`s progress and was glad that she sat at the seat reserved for her. Seven proceeded to the adjacent table. Mariel smiled at the Intrepid captain seductively. Janeway was wearing a black lowcut v neck sleeveless dress with healed strapped sandals. Her shoulder length auburn hair looked ethereal as it caught and reflected light in different shades of red, giving the illusion of a halo. The CEO wanted nothing more than to relax on a paradise island on the neighbouring planet, Unganut 4, with a delectable Kathryn Janeway in her arms. Her loins twitched with arousal as she remembered how Kathryn felt as she made love to her. _Oh, how responsive was Kathryn!_

Tuvok sat two seats away from Janeway. He had a good view of Sharaz, whom he had come to dislike because of her possessive nature and forceful character. The Vulcan had a good idea of what happened in the CEO`s house after he left for Voyager a few days ago. He knew that the alien female had spiked his captain`s drinks and used her body to satisfy her own selfish needs. Tuvok felt very protective of Janeway who was his friend and captain. Now he watched Seven of Nine seated at the adjacent table. He saw an interesting exchange between Mariel Sharaz, Captain Janeway and Seven of Nine. He used his enhanced hearing and telepathic abilities to pick anything which may help him interpret the exchange among the three women. He soon found out that their "conversation" was interesting, to say the least. He felt that he was not paid enough credits for this job!

Janeway looked at Seven who raised an eye brow at her. Seven looked back at the captain then tilted her head towards Sharaz`s direction. Janeway looked at Seven, then at Sharaz. Finally she looked back at Seven again. She raised an eyebrow then shook her head slightly. Seven nodded and sighed. Sharaz looked at Janeway and smiled at the captain. Janeway nodded politely at her then made a disgusted expression on her face. Sharaz leaned back in her chair. 

**TUVOK`S INTERPRETATION**

Janeway: _Seven, what are you looking at?_

Seven: _HER! I don`t trust her for a minute. She is looking at you as if you are a delicious strawberry!_

Janeway: _Oh, really? Or are you just jealous!_

Seven: _I am not jealous, just looking out for you. I do not wish to share you with another!_

Janeway: _I am flattered. I will show you something when this is all over!_

Seven: _Your birthmark? I know where all of them are located on your body!_

Janeway: _Wait! What?_

Seven: Eyebrow raise

Mariel Sharaz: _Kathryn, you look so delectable, i can`t wait to ravage you!_

Janeway: _Thank you, Madam but it`s impolite to talk to me like that!_

Sharaz: _Oh, my Kathryn. I can`t wait to show you something. You`ll like it!_

Janeway: _I do not want to see your surprise! Leave me alone, please._

Seven: _Kathryn, do not look at her. Dessist! She is irrelevant._

Janeway: _I know, Darling. I love you._

Tuvok shut himself out of the little conversation going on and drank from his cup of Vulcan spiced tea. Servers went around serving and removing plates. The Voyager crew seemed to enjoy themselves while eating both familiar and unfamiliar Unganutan food. Finally it was time for dancing. Soft piano and jazz music began to play. Markon Tresvan stood up and extended his hand towards captain Janeway. They went to the open area where they danced together for a while. Then other Unganutan officials danced with the Intrepid captain. Soon Voyager crew and Unganutans danced together.

Mariel Sharaz and Seven of Nine remained seated at their respective seats. _This is going to be interesting!_ Tuvok thought to himself. He saw Sharaz rise gracefully. She wore her skintight revealing outfit from the evening she visited Janeway at the hospital. The alien woman walked towards captain Janeway and extended her hand, just like the foreign minister had done a few moments before. Janeway took the hand and immediately Mariel pulled Janeway close to her. They danced to the slow music, Mariel gyrated against the captain, causing Janeway`s face to warm up in embarrassment. Kathryn knew Seven was watching and that she must find a reason to leave the dance floor. Sharaz seemed to have predicted Janeway`s next move. so she held the captain tightly against her body. Most people were dancing so the drama unfolding was not obvious except to Tuvok, Thalia Thomas, Seven, Janeway and Mariel Sharaz.

_Uh, Ms Sharaz? I don`t feel well. I would like to sit down for a while._

_No, you just want to get away from me. I will not harm you, Kathryn. All i want is to provide you pleasure, never pain._

_I`ve told you before i don`t want your attention._

_You`re just playing hard to get. I know you want me too._

_No, i don`t. I already have someone i love._ Mariel felt that Kathryn was being difficult so she knew that this was the appropriate time to act. Sharaz pushed a button on her "wrist watch." Kathryn Janeway and Mariel Sharaz vanished.

**CHAOS ENSUES**

_Mr Tresvan, the captain has vanished._ Tuvok said in an impassive voice.

_What?_

_She is gone._

Unganut elite force appeared as if out of thin air to surround the building and search inside. Seven of Nine leaped towards the dance floor where the captain and Sharaz were dancing, catching thin air. She was too late. Chaos ensued as guns were fired. People were ordered out of the building causing them to scatter in all directions in panic. Chakotay ordered all Voyager crew back to the ship. Voyager duty officers beamed everyone in the great hall. 

Chakotay left Tuvok and Seven of Nine in the hall at their request. He proceeded to the bridge to conduct space searches for the captain. Three Unganutan ships made sensor sweeps and compared notes with Voyager. They did not pick up anything out of the ordinary. Harry Kim searched again and saw a faint ion trail above the great hall.

_Commander, i think i`ve found something. There is a faint ion trail, it`s fading, but it`s there._

_Follow the ion trail, Harry._

Voyager went to warp following the ion trail which led them to the next planet, Unganut 4. Seven of Nine, Tuvok and Thalia Thomas along with five Unganutan investigators jumped on one of the patrollers` shuttles. They followed Voyager into warp as they headed for Unganut 4. Seven sat quietly at the science station of the shuttle. She watched the scanners as they led them towards her love. She knew that she had to have an objective mind if she was to rescue her woman before she was...Seven did not want to think of what Sharaz might do to Janeway. Seven took a deep, calming breath. Tuvok stole glances at the young woman. He appreciated her calm, outward appearance. he knew that the woman was hurting inside. Thalia looked as calm as Tuvok did. She was only twenty three years old with a calm demeaanor

Seven of Nine, Thalia Thomas, Tuvok and twenty Unganutan security officers searched the building for clues. Tuvok waved his tricorder in the hall while Seven went to Kathryn`s seat. She turned it over and found a small device. She waved at the Unganutan chief investigator who came to see the device. He identified it as a personal transporter. Now Tuvok and Seven had a good idea of what happened. Of course, they suspected some sort of friction between janeway and the woman, but nobody really suspected that Mariel would go to such an extent as to kidnap a guest of such a calibre

**INSIDE UNGANUTAN SHUTTLE**

_I`ve finally got you all to myself, Kathryn. I promise to show you a good time._

_No, thank you. I don`t want to be shown any good time, and certainly not by you!_

_Oh come on baby, give us a chance?_ Sharaz said pleadingly. Janeway sighed but said nothing.

The shuttle went to warp as soon as Sharaz and Janeway materialised on its transporter pads. Janeway knew this when she saw long streaks of stars go past them. She could not believe the audacity of this woman. Was she that beautiful to warrant such attention? Janeway did not know what to think anymore. She was taken to a seat and Sharaz gave an order, in Unganutan. _Ceiros!_ Janeway`s comm badge interpret this as " _Let`s go!"_

_Where are you taking me, Mariel?_

_You`ll see._

Sharaz smiled and came to stand close to the sitting captain. She leaned down and kissed Janeway on the mouth, slowly, seductively. She let her tongue trace the captain`s wine coloured lips. She then knelt before the captain and reached her hands inside the captain`s v neck dress. Hands cupped warm breasts. Sharaz squeezed them gently as she now pushed her tongue into the woman`s mouth. She gently pushed Kathryn back until she was reclined in it. Kathryn moaned as her body reacted strongly to the caresses. She could not believe why she reacted strongly to caresses by someone she did not even like. Come to think about it, she has not been given any drink by Sharaz. Then Janeway remembered a strong, appealing scent from the woman. She was sure it was some sort of pheromone or aphrodisiac of some sort. Unfortunately now she was too far gone to act in any sort of logical manner. All she could do was moan helplessly in appreciation. Janeway found herself disrobing for the imposing woman now lying on top of her. Janeway felt her nipples being touched and rolled deliciously. Then a warm wet mouth surrounded one and sucked on it roughly, causing Kathryn to arch her back towards the suction. Her other nipple was rolled between fingers, causing her nether lips to get engorged. A pleasant throb was felt between her legs, causing her to spread her legs wide apart. She started to kiss the other woman in earnest. Perhaps she liked this individual. What was her name? Janeway tried to remember but everything was a blur. All she could concentrate on was the pleasurable feelings she now felt. A hand moved down between her legs and parted her nether lips. Soon her clit was manipulated deliciously. Kathryn cried as she came strongly, squirting her juices on the shuttle craft seat. Sharaz continued to kiss her, not giving the captain time to recover. Janeway felt another orgasm approach. She pulled Mariel`s head down between her legs. Suddenly something snapped in her, as if it were a switch. Janeway pushed the woman on top of her with all the stregth she could muster. 

Sharaz was taken by surprise. She fell off Kathryn and tumbled to the deck. Kathryn quickly looked around but there was nothing to use as a rope. She thought quickly and used her bra to tie up Sharaz`s hands by the elbows at the back. She made her sit where she had just been raped a moment ago by the imposing Mariel Sharaz. She reached down and searched Mariel`s trouser pockets and found a small phaser. Janeway put on her black dress and proceeded to the front of the shuttle where she found a man at the controls. She assumed that he was the pilot. She set the phaser to heavy stun and shot the pilot. Kathryn then dragged the unconscious body to the other seat and sat at the controls to study them. 

Janeway checked the time the shuttle had traveled. Six hours. _Six freaking hours of being raped!_ Janeway thought as she looked back to where Sharaz sat looking at her. She seemed to be surprised at the turn of events. The captive has become the captor. Tha rapist has become the what exactly? Sharaz wondered. Janeway gave her captor, now captive, a poisonous look and continued her study of the shuttle controls. Luckily it was similar to Starfleet shuttle crafts. She sent a distress call and coordinates of her whereabouts the best she could. That task completed, Kathryn went about looking for her knickers. She found them under the seat where Sharaz now occupied. She went to the back of the shuttle to put them on at the protest of Mariel.

_Oh, Kathryn, please allow me the pleasure of watching you wearing your undergarment?_

_Not in a million years, now shut up or i`ll stun you!_

_No, you will not. You are not a violent individual._

_You`re right, i`m not. So i won`t stun you if you behave and sit there quietly._

A few moments later a green light was seen at the corner of a screen. Janeway activated the screen which read: _Captain, we have received your message. We are two hours from your location. Shut down your engines. Chakotay._

Janeway was so happy to read her first officer`s message.

_Roger!_ She sent a message back and sat back in the seat. In the corner of her eye, Kathryn saw Mariel testing the strength of her restraints. Janeway was forced to act against her better judgment. She stunned Mariel Sharaz and went to check on her to make sure her airway was clear. Mariel Sharaz was right. Janeway was not a violent individual, but when it was needed, she was perfectly capable of defending herself.

A few hours later Kathryn Janeway was reunited with Seven of Nine on Voyager. They proceeded to the captain`s quarters. They stood in each others` embrace and simply appreciated the fact that they were together and free to love each other. Sharaz was arrested and taken into custody. Janeway was invited to testify against her but she refused claiming that Sharaz`s failure to do what she wanted was punishment enough. It did not make sense to Seven and the senior officers, but Janeway knew the type of person Sharaz was: Arrogant, controlling and manipulative. Being arrested was humbling enough for her, restricting her powers and ability to manipulate anyone with Mariel Sharaz`s character. Seven wanted her new girlfriend to see the EMH because she was certain that Kathryn was suffering from Stockholm syndrome. Janeway laughed and hugged her girlfriend.

_I`m fine, Seven. I know myself. I don`t have Stockholm syndrome. Sharaz is exactly like me. The evil side of me._

Seven raised an eyebrow then proceeded to erase all the filthy memories to replace them with new ones.

THE END.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to drop me a line and a kudos would be nice too :>


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